The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 435

433. Fragment of Mist (2)

The hospital ceiling loomed, a vast, starless night sky stretching above. Moonlight shimmered across the dark expanse.

Strands of silver cascaded down, like gently unfurling hair. In the center, an eye slowly opened.

Even though it was just a fragment of memory, I felt an overwhelming pressure. It was like being submerged in water, or rather, a thick, heavy liquid. And even this wasn’t the full power of the Crescent Moon.

How am I supposed to fight that? In the suffocating despair, the moonlight wavered.

[My lovely little moon.]

It was a voice tinged with faint pity, utterly confident that I could never escape its grasp.

[If you wish to continue wandering in this fleeting dream, so be it.]

She spoke with a soothing, almost affectionate tone.

[All paths must come to an end.]

The moonlight, its edges darkening, began to fade. Luga Peya tilted her head, gazing up at the dissipating silver sky.

“The Crescent Moon must have fallen asleep suddenly because of this. Intervening to prevent the lunar eclipse.”

And she had succeeded. The completion of Sung Hyunjae was only delayed, and the sole threat was eliminated.

Song Taewon.

He blinked slowly. He was no longer in human form.

In the hazy replay of memories, a black shadow melted away, dripping to the floor like endless teardrops.

He extended what was once his hand.

[…Live on.]

He had protected humanity. Song Taewon.

I couldn’t know if Chief Song truly saw Sung Hyunjae as a human, not a monster, or if it was a final comforting word. But for some reason, his face, which couldn’t even fully materialize…

…seemed to be wearing a faint smile.

[As a human.]

Sung Hyunjae’s form was indistinct. But I could confirm that the plunder, Song Taewon’s last strength, had been given to him.

[I was, after all, a monster.]

…I wanted to shout that it wasn’t true. I was frustrated that my voice couldn’t reach the records of the past.

[You, live on.]

“…on, …as?”

Sung Hyunjae spoke, but I couldn’t hear him properly.

[With that, I am…….]

With a patter, the shadow crumbled. Sung Hyunjae’s hand reached into the darkness that spread like a puddle.

[…I’m sorry.]

It was a voice so fragile it seemed about to break. What on earth, until the very end.

[I… was greedy… but, again…….]

Again.

[…even if… human……. several times, that…….]

“Of course, …will be.”

With his fingertips finally engulfed, the black shadow scattered into white. Not even a corpse remained. Only a single gift was his last trace.

The final gift that would allow Sung Hyunjae to live as a human.

Before the regression [time travel], Song Taewon ultimately couldn’t accept himself as human. But he had continued to protect people, and he left the path to humanity open even for the one he had considered a monster.

…Was he, perhaps, a little satisfied?

The mist vanished. A clear sky appeared, and the surroundings transformed back into a forest. A long sigh escaped my lips without me realizing it.

“…The Crescent Moon, geez.”

My throat was a little dry.

“It retreated more easily than I expected.”

“The lunar eclipse disappeared, so it must be satisfied. Even if it pretends to be generous in memories, it must be quite troubled now, right?”

The King of No Harm smiled mischievously.

“Because you brought the lunar eclipse back to life by turning back time.”

“But Chief Song will never harm Sung Hyunjae, the little moon. He’s not the type to do that. Doesn’t the Crescent Moon know that too?”

“How can you trust an existence that might have been born from the will of the origin?”

“Still, he wouldn’t do that. Absolutely.”

I replayed what I had just seen. My eyes narrowed involuntarily.

“I don’t really understand even if I see it, but you must know something. That, Chief Song’s condition, I mean.”

“He certainly wasn’t an ordinary human. The black shadow seemed to have inflicted some damage on the Crescent Moon as well. It endured without being killed even though the Crescent Moon revealed that much power. But he collapsed because he couldn’t overcome his own power.”

The King of No Harm regretted that he wanted to summon the lunar eclipse to examine it.

“If I had known this would happen, I would have sided with Han Yoojin!”

“I regret that too.”

Even if their motives were impure, I would have welcomed even one transcendent being taking my side with open arms. What’s more, if the King of No Harm lived and sided with us, Chatterbox might have followed along as well. …It’s so frustratingly regrettable.

“It’s also possible that Chief Song could completely swallow Sung Hyunjae. Then, could we perhaps remove only what the Crescent Moon has bound Sung Hyunjae with?”

“Impossible.”

Luga Peya stated firmly.

“It has been intricately woven over a long time, so the lunar eclipse’s power can’t erase only the Crescent Moon’s influence. It requires the delicate work of carefully cutting the thin, incredibly tough threads that are tightly constricting the body. The current lunar eclipse, which has barely lived for a hundred years, can’t do it. The current lunar eclipse is at the level of wielding a large blunt weapon, not a scalpel.”

“So it’s not that it can’t be done, but that the ability is lacking?”

“It would be possible if it grew for about a thousand years, or even ten thousand years. By then, it would be able to handle its power as precisely as a surgical scissor.”

Ten thousand years. In the end, it meant it couldn’t be done right now.

“That’s difficult.”

“It’s not easy to extract an existence that a transcendent being like the Crescent Moon has put so much effort into. It’s amazing that you’ve messed with it this much~”

Messed with it is an understatement.

“If someone could cut even a single one of the dozens or hundreds of tangled threads, something might happen. But it would still be difficult. It’s simply a lack of experience.”

Who would cut it for us? Does that mean Chief Song would have to live for several thousand more years to safely help Sung Hyunjae? It’s hopeless.

“Will Chief Song live long too?”

“As long as he’s not consumed by his own power. Both the little moon and him, one acquired it after birth, the other was born with it. They’ve shouldered powers they can’t handle due to external wills. And Han Yoojin, you.”

The jellyfish spun around me once.

“You’re embracing things you can’t handle on your own. Ignoring your broken arms and torn chest.”

“It’s still bearable.”

“Ah, it’s going to be fun in the future.”

Luga Peya, who had been feeling regretful, sighed deeply and turned back to me.

“Then how should I give you the reward? The you in the dungeon is treated as the same person, so it’s processed as if you defeated the boss monster alone.”

Huh, now that I think about it, that’s right. I looked at Luga Peya with expectant eyes.

“An F-rank defeating an L-rank alone. Shouldn’t something better than a wish stone come out of this?”

“Not L-rank, S-rank.”

Tch, she’s not falling for it. S-rank was about one or two steps lower than before the regression.

“Is there anything you want?”

“If it’s something I want…….”

Of course, there were many things. But asking her to save our world would be impossible, and retrieving my brother…….

“…Before the reward, is there anything you can help me with?”

“Huh? What?”

“Chatterbox, I mean.”

Luga Peya tilted her head.

“Why him?”

Why indeed.

“He’s sharpening his teeth at me, saying he’ll take revenge for you.”

“Revenge? Why?”

She looked genuinely puzzled. Could it be that Chatterbox, that bastard…….

“Chatterbox loves Luga Peya, um, because……?”

“I see.”

“No, what do you mean ‘I see,’ I see.”

She was so unimpressed. For a moment, Chatterbox became a tiny, ant-sized bit pitiful.

“There have been many people who loved me. I’m charming, after all.”

Luga Peya smiled, swaying her tentacles gently.

“I don’t really understand because the species are too different.”

“The abilities you have are unrelated to species~ Of course, when I was young, when I was the king of a world, a species, people lined up to court me.”

“Still, the tentacles are a bit much.”

“You’re very prejudiced against tentacles.”

Anyway, the King of No Harm didn’t seem to have any particular feelings for Chatterbox.

“Leaving love aside, weren’t you at least friends?”

“We did hang out together and had tea time, so probably.”

“Then please talk him out of it. Write a will or something. Like, ‘I have no grudge against Han Yoojin, so give up on revenge.’ Or, ‘Han Yoojin didn’t actually kill me,’ would also be good.”

“I could write it, but revenge is the self-satisfaction of the living.”

Luga Peya shrugged.

“If it’s a purely innocent love for another person, it ends the moment the other person disappears. Because nothing remains. There’s no need to even take revenge.”

…Suddenly, Yoohyun came to mind. My brother, who only looked at me, neglecting even himself.

“Love, emotions, are usually interactions, and the ‘me’ who loves you is also considered important. Because it’s ‘I,’ not anyone else, who loves you. For ordinary, universal love, for emotional exchange, ‘I’ must exist before you.”

“That sounds a bit abstract.”

“Chatterbox is moving for the sake of ‘himself who loves Luga Peya.’ It means it’s not purely revenge for me.”

…He was like that too. Actually, when you think about it, what would a dead person know about revenge or anything else?

“Even so, if it’s a truly precious person. It’s natural to want to take revenge.”

“It’s Chatterbox’s sadness, not Luga Peya’s sadness, and Chatterbox’s anger, not Luga Peya’s anger. Of course, emotions aren’t created alone, so I’m not completely unrelated. It’s a sadness that arose because of me, and an anger that arose because of me.”

If a person is only alone, emotions can’t arise either, right? Surely there must be something else, someone else, to be happy or sad.

“Even so, it’s ultimately for himself. Han Yoojin, if you received a letter saying, ‘Don’t take revenge for losing a precious person,’ would you be able to stop?”

“…No.”

I definitely couldn’t stop. I wouldn’t be able to stop until I had cut off his head. But I don’t intend to harm the people around him like Chatterbox.

“It could backfire. But I’ll leave a message at least. It’s too trivial for your story to be blocked by Chatterbox’s revenge, even if I can’t see it.”

“Trivial. It’s because you’re dead, because you’re dead.”

“Yes. It’s trivial, really.”

As expected, the jellyfish in front of me was hard to understand. Wasn’t she taking her own death too lightly? A tentacle reached out again and wrapped around my shoulder as if to grab it. And Luga Peya’s face came close─

“Wait, wait!”

“Close your eyes.”

Wh-what is she trying to do! I was momentarily flustered, but the faint warmth touched my eyelids.

“The rest is up to fate.”

“I don’t know what it is, but thanks anyway. But by any chance, are you thinking of coming with me? You can create monsters even with memory fragments. Like the fairy dragon I saw before.”

“No. That’s not me.”

Luga Peya refused firmly. Certainly, even if fragments were inserted, the changeling [monster created from fragments] and Sung Hyunjae were very different. They could resemble Sung Hyunjae, but their abilities and personalities were completely different.

“There’s not much time left. With the current reward value, you could get SSS-rank equipment. Skills are also possible if they suit you. But I don’t recommend skills. They’re not good for your body.”

“It’s impossible to receive an attack-type S-rank skill, right?”

Since the effect can be applied twice, even an S-rank would be useful. As expected, she shook her head.

“Even A-rank is difficult.”

“That’s too much.”

“In the first place, your aptitude was just simple support. It seems more specialized in nurturing now. Aptitudes change depending on the environment and effort.”

“If I’ve been rolling around for five years, shouldn’t I have developed some combat aptitude?”

“Physical condition is also important for that. You replaced your body, didn’t you.”

The me before the regression [time travel], yes. Frankly speaking, my body was a bit better then. Then would she have had some combat aptitude? Huh, I should have told that guy at the point shop to try it! There might have been a discount!

“My points… I lost them all because of the Crescent Moon…….”

Instead, my body became a little healthier and the mana imprinting stabilized, but it was still a waste. Luga Peya opened her mouth, rolling her eyes towards the air as if examining the system.

“The point shop seems useful. Should I give it to you in points then?”

“What? That’s possible?”

“The conversion rate is lower. You’ll lose about 20 percent.”

“In that case, I’d rather just receive equipment.”

It would be better to take care of the kids. Since Myungwoo is there for weapons and other metal-related items, I’ll get SSS-rank items that the blacksmith can’t make.

“Isn’t there anything you can recommend? Chatterbox and the Crescent Moon are both acquaintances of yours. We’re bound to clash in the future…….”

“You’re greedy.”

“Or give me information instead. Don’t they have any weaknesses?”

“The Crescent Moon weakens a little during the day, but you still can’t handle it. Chatterbox is good at handling systems, but like most system administrators, he’s not good at fighting. It’s not his aptitude. Of course, he’s still much stronger than you.”

That was really unhelpful. Well, it would be worse than hitting a rock with an egg anyway. Should I just get the equipment and be done with it…….

“Ah, should I give you my drawer?”

“Huh? Drawer?”

A square Rubik’s Cube-like object appeared in front of Luga Peya.

“Since other beings can’t use it and it will be closed forever anyway. This is the smallest of my drawers, but it still contains better items than your reward value.”

“…Is it okay to give me something like this?”

“It’s a trick. It’s mine, after all. You can only take out three of all the items inside. That’s the maximum.”

Should I accept it? Maybe she’s trying to trick me. I reached out and received the cube.

[The King of No Harm’s 71st Drawer]

It really is a drawer.

“…How do I use it?”

“Go inside and take out the items.”

“At once?”

“No. You can go in multiple times. It’s similar to that blacksmith’s forge.”

In that case, the cube itself was valuable enough. I could use it as an emergency shelter.

“You’re being suspiciously kind.”

“You’re just more interesting.”

She seemed to be the type to do whatever she pleased as long as it pleased her, regardless of good or evil. Anyway, there was no reason to refuse if she was going to be nice to me.

“What about the remaining reward value?”

“Um, change it to points.”

It was better to use the point shop when I needed it than to receive petty items now. As soon as I received the reward completely, the surrounding scenery began to blur. Luga Peya’s form also became translucent. Her tentacles swayed slowly as if to say goodbye.

“…Thank you. Goodbye.”

I went through a lot of trouble thanks to her, but I never thought I’d receive help like this. Really─

“Ah!”

“Huh?”

Luga Peya said with a look of having forgotten something.

“You can’t take the items here out unless they’re processed as rewards.”

“That’s obvi─”

“That includes clothes.”

Huh!

“Wa, wait a minute! All my clothes are from here!”

I had changed everything, including my underwear!

“I forgot since I can create clothes. But it’s nothing big. Goodbye~”